That day Sameer Verma realized that there was no one like friends, everyone was your competitor, and if you would stop yourself from friendship then your friend would cut your throat to go ahead, that’s the reality that Sameer just faced, the world was nothing but just cut-throat competition, but he never knew that the relations were also evergreen until your pocket is full of money, not just money but good amount of money that’s what make relation long-lasting.
So, that day he got a letter from the board of directors for a meeting. It was nothing like a big deal because they met every time after two months. He was happy as usual, he hugged his son who was leaving for school.
“Bye, Dad.” His son said running towards the van which stood out of his door, it was seven thirty in the early morning. He ran towards the van with his school bag manifesting heavy weight on his back. Sameer saw him with a smile, that was the kind of smile that always appeared when you see your children happy. And as usual, he loved his boy more than anything.
He wore a white shirt, carrying a suit in his hand, he turned back to his wife, she was smiling, that’s a smile which he was addicted to,
“Priya, will you carry my bag from inside?” He asked her.
“Sure.” She said turning back towards the door, he was standing in the courtyard of his house, he leaned forward to open a small gate at the entrance of his house.
He heard footsteps of Priya coming, he turned back and looked at her, her open hair till his shoulder was so beautiful, some of her hair was visible on her face, which she fixed behind her ears.
“Take, you have a meeting today?” She asked.
“Yeah, small meeting with directors.”
“Is there anything to worry about?” She asked.
“No, there is nothing like that, till I know but I will come to know if there is anything wrong, don’t worry.”
She stared at his face, and after a few seconds, she gave a smile, accepting nothing wrong.
“Have a good day.” She said, taking him in her arms.
Sameer checked his pocket, found the keys to his car,
“Have a good day Priya, bye.” He said going out of her eyes.
He was thinking about the meeting. What will he say in that? He didn’t know for what the meeting was organized but he was concerned because it was unexpected because whenever there was a meeting, the letter would arrive the week before, but on that day the latter arrived that morning, he just hoped that there would be nothing serious about it.
He was the CEO of a financial company named Samriddhi Financial Services. He earned that position eleven years ago, and that was when he got married to his wife Priya, after having the job as a CEO, that year was very beneficial for him, then after that year Priya delivered a son named Arnav.
He was living his most beautiful life in the last ten years when his graph was seen as rising, but only rising from ten years which was not acceptable to nature, nature, or his environment questioned but whatever it was Sameer was still unaware of what he was going to face that morning, he was unaware of the Storm or tsunami coming at him. Still, anyway, a smile on his face, and beautiful Bollywood love songs in his ears made him look like a beautiful morning as usual.
He drove his car from a serene street where there were few bushes around with large beautiful green trees, besides those bushes and trees he knew that there was one society located, its name was Harmony Garden, the beautiful society of the town Clearwater, there was the logic behind the name of the town, there were several rivers located in the town or pass the town, so it was Clearwater, the beautiful town he ever lived at.
He drove towards Harmony Avenue which was next to the serenity street. There were several shops located over there, one big grocery store where many people from town went for grocery shopping, which was a bit cheaper than at any other shop, plus there was extra benefit over there because it contained AC, people living in that town were found of air conditioner, because there were only a few houses or offices where the air conditioner was placed, normal people must take permission before purchasing because it was not allowed because of global warming.
Then he turned over right side from the circle ahead of Harmony Avenue which took him to his company office, it was a huge office of three floors, he parked his car in the parking, then wearing his suit while coming out, with a wide smile escaping from his face containing mustaches and little beard, in the age of thirty-five, it was his face made him look like at the age of twenty-five.
He walked towards the door, his eyes looked at the guards standing over there, with a smiling face he greeted them good morning, which he thought would make them more motivated for work, he pulled the door and got inside the office, many people were sitting in their desk doing there appointed work on the computer, some of them were doing on a laptop, whatever they prefer was provided by company.
He buttoned up the shirt and went upstairs setting his hair which was simple, not so fashionable, he preferred that look, his cabin was located on the second floor where there were cabins of many executives too, but apart from opening the door of his cabin where there was the plate of CEO, he knocked on the door of cabin where there was plate of CFO.
After the second knock the door opened, and the man standing straight to him was his best friend, Ravi both joined the company at the age of twenty second, and now both are sitting in the main post of the company, Sameer has become the CEO, then he helped his friend to be CFO.
“What’s up?” Sameer asked.
“Nothing good, there’s a meeting this morning.” He said.
“Yeah, I came to know about that, what do you think, why so sudden the meeting is organized?”
“You don’t know why the meeting is kept this morning?”
“No, no Idea that’s so sudden, is there anything serious?”
“You are the CEO, you don’t know what serious thing is going on?” He said with a smirk face.
“No, why would I ask if I know.”
He smirked the smirk that gave Sameer a hint of something wrong.
“The company has been facing the loss, Sameer, for the last many months, and you don’t know that?”
“What a joke, just yesterday I checked the document, we never faced a loss,” Sameer said.
“Oh, it is obvious that you will make excuses to save your position.”
“Why do you think that I am making excuses?”
“Why? Man, you have put the black cloth in all of our eyes, till then you made your profit while gaining huge losses for the company.”
“But, wait, who told you this stuff?” Sameer said, never believing a word his best friend said to him.
Ravi smiled,
“We have seen the documents showing the real loss of the company.”
“Well then show me your documents, I don’t think that’s correct,” Sameer said, taking his seat on the chair, Ravi sat on his chair, and took out his file, Sameer’s smile faded out completely after seeing that file which was opposite of what he saw last day, but still some part of him want to believe that there was no loss, because he saw the document the previous day.
“See.”
“That is not possible.” The word came out, which he thought was a whisper but it wasn’t.
“What kind of CEO are you? You don’t even know your company is facing loss, such a waste you are.” Ravi said.
As the word hit Sameer’s ear, pain took place in his heart, he was not ready to believe who had spoked that because it was not acceptable for him that his best friend would call him waste, those words attacked his heart, he thought to die before hearing those words which nearly stabbed him.
“You called me a waste?”
“Then what else did you hear?” He said.
But before he could complete his sentence, the palm Sameer was on the cheek of Ravi’s face before he could insult him anymore, his eyes turned red, and he struggled not to let the tear run out from his eye.
“How dare you call me that,” Sameer said. “You are fired.”
“Oh really, that we will see, first let the meeting happen, you freak.” He said again, Sameer didn’t slap him again but it was so disgusting, he walked back to his cabin.
He was unable to understand what was true, so he picked up the telephone and called his manager who showed him the files.
Then he ordered one of the workers to send coffee to his cabin. His head was blasting, he was unable to think what the hell was going on, he was so confused.
Then he heard the knock, it was the manager of the company,
“May I come in sir?” He asked.
Sameer nodded in the absence of a smile, the sweat was visible on his forehead,
“How can I help you sir?”
“The document you sent me yesterday showed no loss in the company,” Sameer said calmly.
“Which document are you talking about?”
“The one you sent me yesterday.”
“Oh, that, okay that was I think the previous one, you didn’t read the date?”
Sameer opened his table drawer and took out the document that showed him the date six months ago, which he forgot to check.
“Then where are the last documents of the last six months? I read documents every month. Why the hell I was unaware about the loss of company.” He shouted.
“You know the loss, sir, please don’t joke, I have shown you every document sir you did not take action, sir, what can I do.”
“You get out, immediately.” He said he was so frustrated, that he wanted to fire the manager, the CFO. No thought appeared in his mind, just the anger was controlling his mind in a very good way not letting any single thought enter his mind.
Then he heard the knock, he opened the door, it was coffee, he closed the wooden door, then sat in his chair, took a sip of coffee which made him calm, it made him feel like he was alive again.
* * *
He took his car out of the parking, drop of tear was in his eyes, he was kicked out from his post of CEO, he was sure that the documents of lose were not true documents but, his friend did all things to let him down, it was seen on his eyes when he was sitting in the meeting, the board of directors believed the document, there was no proof with him to show his truth, in the end he was offered to continue as a employee but that was disgusting for him, to start from beginning in same company, it was also disgrace for him to continue work over there after these many things he faced on single morning, he never dreamt that his friends will betray him. The anger took him, he wanted to beat anyone so badly, but he couldn’t, he was a good man, the thought appeared from deep inside his mind, he was a good man.
He resigned from his job too, but one thing that hurt him most was the words his friend spoke to let him down in the meeting. It gave the hint to him that all was teamed up to let him down.
The directors, CFO, and COO, all teamed up to let Sameer down from his post of CEO, they made a new CEO which was Ravi, which made clear the plan they made.
While driving the car he laughed, laughed at himself, his trust he kept in his best friend, more than anyone, he also trusted every member of the company, everyone with whom he worked, he made the company work on an international basis too, he was the one who brought these company in these levels, he invested his eleven precious years on that post of CEO, to bring these company but at the end what he got? Betrayal by his most trusted ones.
He never imagined that he would face something like this, he didn’t know that a day like this would arrive in his life when he would forget to trust anyone later on, at that time that laugh which appeared from his tears turned into a sob, he turned his car at the corner of street, he sobbed, he lost everything, he failed in his life, his life changed just like weather nowadays, lose arrived from nowhere, the day arrived from nowhere but took everything existed from Sameer.
The only hope he had now was that he would wake up from this dream, which was a curse, but he didn’t know that he was not sleeping to wake up from the dream.
(To be continued)
